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'They have had six weeks to do these roadworks - why do them now?' - parents slam timing as school warns closure will cause chaos

Improvements are being carried out in Longton to accommodate a new Lidl

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by Philip Cullinane

05:00, 11 Sep 2018Updated06:01, 11 Sep 2018

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Parents have hit out at five weeks of road works causing the route outside their children’s school to shut – just as pupils return from the long summer break.

Highways workers are currently on site at Spring Garden Road near Longton’s St Gregory’s Catholic Academy to widen the stretch ready for a new supemarket’s arrival.

But families have hit out the timing of the improvements as children head back from the long holiday – and claim it will exacerbate existing parking and traffic problems in the area.

Works are taking place in preparation for the new Lidl store set to be built on the former Somerfield site off Spring Garden Road.

Road works outside a school which are set to last for six weeks started just in Spring Garden Road
Roadworks as part of the build have completely closed Spring Garden Road, the same road where St Gregory's Catholic Academy is.

Bosses at the budget superstore are promising 1,424 square metres of retail space – which will include an in-store bakery, wider aisles and longer tills, customer toilets and more parking.

However parents have bemoaned the road closure, which has seen traffic diverted towards Edensor Road.

Tim Woodcock, aged 33, of Meir Hay, said: “They have just had six weeks to do this work and not cause this disruption. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

“My partner struggles to pick the children up on a normal day but this has been even worse over the last few days.”

Roxanne Sutton, aged 27, of Longton, said: “I do find the timing strange because we have just had the six weeks holiday.

“Parking has always been a problem at the school. It has been better since they have let people pay for permits to use the school car park but it is still a problem.”

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Paul Nicholls, aged 49, of Dresden, said: “The problem of parking at this school has been long-standing but this is causing havoc.

“I think that it has been poorly organised – where are we supposed to park when we are picking up the children?

Parents have slammed the organisation behind the construction of the new Lidl in Longton.

"They have had the whole six weeks of the summer holidays to do this and they have decided to do it now. It does not make any sense and has been poorly organised.”

The school warned parents of a ‘high level of disruption’ in a text message and also shared details on social media. The statement read: “Please note there is no access from Trentham Road to or from Spring Garden Road as the junction is being widened to accommodate the new Lidl store and a diversion is in place.